but let’s be honest, sporting events are happening every day and there is always an excuse to get out the meat, beer, and BBQ sauce! This weekend, as you sip on a nice cold beer (if in fact you like beer) think about how delicious it would taste in your BBQ recipe!

Looks good….right?!

It was.

In fact, it was amazing. And the best part about this recipe was that is was as easy as 1, 2, 3. Literally; put the chicken in the slow-cooker, add four ingredients, turn it on, and wait (ok, was that four steps?).

So what made me think to add beer to my slow cooker chicken? I was perusing blogs one day and came acrossthis recipeon Tiff’s blog. She used BEER in the slow-cooker, and I started to drool, seriously, all over the place. I love beer, and I love my slow-cooker. Ok, so maybe “beer in the slow-cooker” has been done before, but this was new to me (I mean, I am a newbie to the slow-cooker, and still learning….). She used 4-ounces of beer in her recipe, but I thought…why not more?! And so, here is what I came up with.

Add all ingredients together in the slow-cooker, and cook on low for 6-7 hours (or high for 3-4 hours). Turn off the slow-cooker and use two forks to shred the chicken in the slow cooker.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken without making a juicy mess.

Enjoy. You will.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/6th of recipe (~3/4th cup)

Nutrition Highlights: Ok, there aren’t many nutrition highlights, butif you compare this to any restaurant’s pulled/shredded chicken I’d bet my life it’s lower in calories, fat, and sodium (especially sodium!). If you want this to be a more “complete” meat, serve it with whole grain bread for some fiber, or on top of brown rice. Add some veggies too, to create a balanced plate.

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CREATE YOUR PLATE! Chicken for protein, broccoli (our household’s veggie of choice) for vegetable, extra veggies for the “Fruit” (because there is less sugar and typically more fiber in vegetables anyway), brown rice or whole grain bread for the grain, and a glass of milk or a slice of cheese for the dairy (or you can have some soy or almond milk, because let’s be honest, you don’t need dairy)

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QUESTION: Ok creative readers, how would you be unique and eat this shredded chicken other than on sandwiches?? Tell me your ideas in the comment section!

What are you doing this weekend? Anything exciting? Nick and I are not doing much, mainly because I work all weekend (this is what I get for taking last weekend off! It’s always worth it though).

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments! But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

This recipe was not only cheap ( $10 for 6 sandwiches) but it was also incredibly simple (therefore it was thrifty in terms of time and money). I followedthis recipe from AllRecipes.com.I modified the recipe slightly by using only 8-ounces of BBQ sauce instead of 12-ounces. It was as simple as adding the frozen chicken to the crockpot, topping it with the BBQ sauce, closing the lid, and waiting around all day while the house filled with delicious smells and aromas.

This recipe wasn’t low FODMAPs because of the BBQ sauce (I’ve yet to find a FODMAPs-free BBQ sauce) but…..

Is it just me, or does this look like a bowl of hot wings?

…..when I shredded the chicken I didn’t add the extra BBQ to my portion, only to Nick’s. Therefore I got the juicy, tender chicken with just a hint of BBQ sauce on top, making it at least lower FODMAPs.

I really enjoy shredding meat. It’s very liberating.

Is this sandwich not beautious?! Nick actually cut some red onions and sauteed them to add to his sandwich. He knows I a) hate to cut onions because my eyes burn like crazy and b) can’t eat onions because they containFODMAPs, so he was nice enough to do this himself. I think they made the sandwich look that much better. He needs to be the food blogger, not me.

Nick served his chicken on a whole wheat bun, with red onion and cilantro. I just took off the onion for my own. SO GOOD!

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Estimated Nutrition Facts Serving Size: 1 Sandwich made with 1/6th of the chicken recipe, and including a typical ~160-calorie whole wheat bun. Also, note that I only used 8-ounces of BBQ sauce, versus the 12-ounces called for in the original recipe from the link above.

** NOTE: 1/6th of the recipe, without a bun, would be about 420 calories. If you want to use a lighter bun look for a 100-calorie bun in your local supermarket (or go even lighterandomit the bun and use the chicken in a taco salad or enjoy it alone, with some fun toppings) **

QUESTION: What would you do with the extra BBQ sauce from this recipe? I used just a tad on a baked potato the next day, and then Nick used it on some chicken tacos the following evening (but Nick goes wild with sauce, especially BBQ. He can’t do just a tad). Delicious.

Stay tuned for another wonderful (and incredibly simple) recipe for pulled chicken with a “hoppy” twist coming up next week. Oh, and eventually I’ll be getting Nick to post his succulent sea bass recipe, which he made for dinner last night. Yes, Nick made dinner, and it was not only blog-worthy, but I could have easily spent $30 on it at a nice restaurant! He’s got some talent in the kitchen…have I mentioned that before? And he even kept it relatively low-FODMAPs (and healthy!) for me. What a guy.

After telling everyone “I never get sick” and “I don’t need the flu shot”……I got sick. Ugh. It’s not the flu, but food poisoning (I think). The worst! So, at this point nothing sounds good, and I’ve been eating toast and chicken noodle soup since yesterday when I could finally stomach the thought of eating something. This morning’s breakfast? Gourmet Rice Krispies and almond milk. I can’t remember the last time I ate Rice Krispies for breakfast! They are actually really good.

Anyway, I digress, time for today’s delicious post!

I often get asked to recommend good cookbooks that contain light recipes. I have a handful of recommendations, but my typical response is that I use Pinterest, Blogs, and AllRecipes.com for most of my recipes. I also use Cooking Light Magazine and Diabetic Livingquite often. However, in reality I really enjoy just about any cookbook that contains simple recipes, because even if they aren’t inherently light I can always modify them to make them light (or at least lighter). This recipe was a perfect example of a recipe that was not at all light, but was made “lighter” by making a few simple modifications (ie: less calories, fat, and sodium, but still not technically light, per USDA/FDA standards)

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Yes, I take many of my photos as night, and I still haven’t mastered the art of nighttime photo taking.

1. Heat water, celery, carrot, 1 cup beer, lime juice and salt in saucepan over high heat until boiling. Add chicken breasts; reduce heat to simmer. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 12 to 14 minutes. Remove chicken; cool and shred into bite-sized pieces. NOTE: You can also remove the celery and carrots if you wish, but the recipe doesn’t say to do so. I added these to the casserole! Why not?!

2. Spoon 1/2 cup enchilada sauce in bottom of slow-cooker. Place tortilla chips in 1-layer over sauce. Cover with 1/3rd of the shredded cheese, spreading evenly. Pour 1/2 cup enchilada sauce over cheese. Repeat layering process 2 more times (or until you are out of the ingredients and have a bit of cheese left for the last layer), pouring remaining beer over casserole before adding last layer of cheese.

NOTE: If you are following a low FODMAPs diet, this can be modified to be lower FODMAPs, but not FODMAPs-free. I omitted the onion when I made this, but the enchilada sauce had garlic and onion (as do most enchilada sauces) and it’s impossible to omit the sauce! If you are lactose-intolerant you can use a lactose-free cheese. Also, omit the celery if you are sensitive to polyols.

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I made this recipe for Nick, my friend Ashley, my mom, and me. All of us agreed that this recipe was a winner! Even with all the modifications I made it was still very tasty, and has now been “bookmarked” in my Crock-Pot cookbook.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/6th of recipe

Nutrition Highlights: Good source of vitamin A and vitamin C, excellent source of Calcium

Ok, ok, despite the handful of “nutrition highlights” this isn’t the healthiest recipe, but can you imagine the stats before my “healthy” modifications?! Yikes. At least it’s under 500 calories, that’s a plus considering how indulgent this meal tasted! You can bet you’re still eating less calories and sodium than you would if you were eating out. Scary thought, right?!

Thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments! But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

Do you like meat and potatoes? I do. Especially when it’s cold outside. And especially when I’m feeling a little sad or stressed. Meat and potatoes is really the ultimate comfort food, don’t you think?! Well, unless you consider ice cream, chocolate, peanut butter…..ok, so I’m more of a sweets person when it comes to comfort foods, but I’ll have my ice cream after my meat and potatoes!

When I found this recipe for Slow Cooker Pork and Sweet Potatoes I knew I had to make it because I saw that it contained cinnamon. My Italian grandma, Lois, used to add cinnamon to her lasagna and I swear it made the dish that much more amazing. Ever since I was young I’ve been adding cinnamon to my savory dishes, but it’s rare that I see recipes that do the same. The recipe below is a different spin on meat and potatoes, and it’s a healthier one that I promise you and any picky relatives or loved ones will enjoy every bite.

Combine tomatoes with brown sugar, cinnamon, parsley, and black pepper; pour over pork mixture. Cover and cook on LOW setting for 8 to 10 hours. Stir to mix before serving.

Notes

If you are following a low FODMAPs diet be sure to chop the onion into larger pieces so you can easily take them out/avoid them when you are eating this dish. You could omit the onion (if you are really sensitive to the water soluble GOS and fructans, this is probably the best idea), but I liked getting the flavor of the onion in the dish and it didn't seem to bother me too much. Also keep in mind that sweet potatoes, when eaten in excess of about ½ cup/sitting, could cause some GI discomfort for those who are really sensitive.

3.2.1255

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Nick couldn’t wait to get his hands on this when he came home from work. And he wasn’t angry when he had it for leftovers for about 2 days afterwards 🙂

Estimated Nutrition facts for 1/6th of recipe

Isn’t it comforting when your comfort food is so ….. light?!

Nutrition Highlights: One full serving has only slightly more than 4 grams of fat (probably because there was no extra fat added to the recipe, only the pork), less than 100 mg sodium (notice, there was no salt added in this recipe. The 75 mg/serving is from the canned tomatoes) and a good source of fiber (thanks mainly to the sweet potatoes), and vitamin A, and an excellent source of vitamin C.

I love my slow cooker. Love it. I also really love vegetarian foods. However…..vegetarian foods don’t always love me. I received this book; The Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker, from my mother in law as a Christmas gift, but as I went through the pages I realized, as I had feared, I wouldn’t be able to enjoy most of the recipes because they containedFODMAPs( my mother in law, Dee, also got me a non-vegetarian slow cooker cookbook, which I plan to use very soon, and often). I am able to modify a lot of my favorite recipes to contain less FODMAPs but most vegetarian recipes have FODMAP ingredients as their core ingredient, and for the main source of protein, therefore they are more difficult to modify.

I thought about returning the book, but then I thought NO WAY! I want one of my loyal readers to get this book! I mean, it’s a wonderful cookbook, with some fantastic recipes from all around the world.

In order to enter this giveaway all you have to do is tell me your favorite vegetarian source of protein. Easy! For an extra entry you can Tweet this giveaway (and include me in your tweet; @CandidRD) or “Like” my Facebook Page (check in out on the right side of my blog), and let me know you did. I will announce the winner next Wednesday, January 9th.

Good luck, and thanks for reading!

The Candid Rd

NOTE: I love comments! But, be sure to come back to read any replies to questions or comments, as they do not go directly to your e-mail.

I love a good BBQ pulled pork. I know it’s not a very lean or healthy dish, but I’m a realistic dietitian and I know that having it every once in a while isn’t a problem, especially if you make sure to pair your BBQ with some type of vegetable (I like mine with greens and beans!). Since getting a slow-cooker I’ve been dreaming of making pulled pork sandwiches for dinner. The other day I found a great recipe for Ginger-Infused Pork in my Clean Eating Magazine, and “pinned it” (on my fridge, that is) so I could gather the ingredients at the store, ASAP.

This recipe was so easy, and cheap, it’s a wonder why anyone would ever go to a BBQ restaurant ever again! haha, jk. But seriously, the price was just right, and the slow-cooker did all the work.

2 jalapeno chile peppers, thinly sliced into rounds (keep the seeds in if you like spice!)

1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced

2 cups chopped tomatoes

1 cup diced yellow onion

1/4th cup tomato paste (made with just tomatoes, nothing else added)

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. allspice

1/3 cup maple syrup (or evaporated can juice)

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger

Optional: Fresh buns

Directions1. Add the pork to your slow cooker, followed by all the ingredients, minus the maple syrup, vinegar, Worchestershire and ginger.

2. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours (depending on your slow cooker, you may need more or less time. The pork should fall apart easily with a fork when it’s cooked appropriately).

3. Once cooked, turn off the slow-cooker and add the maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, Worchestershire and grated ginger. Allow to sit for about 30 minutes to let flavors infuse.

4. Pull apart the pork and enjoy the pork however you wish (ie: on buns, on a bed of brown rice, on a salad, wrapped in a taco shell, etc.)

NOTE: If you are following a Low FODMAPsdiet, make sure to cut your onion into LARGE chunks so they can easily be avoided when you are scooping out your pork, but you still get the flavor of the onion immersed into your pork as it’s cooking (although if you are really sensitive to galactans and fructans, beware you will still get some if you use the onion, as FOS and GOS are water soluble). If you are very sensitive keep in mind the Worchestershire sauce also contains FODMAPs. This recipe only calls for a small amount, so it could be eliminated if you wish. It didn’t seem to bother me, just an FYI. Also, the high amount of tomatoes might cause you problems, so be sure to avoid the excess juices and stick to just the pork if you are really sensitive to a lot of tomatoes (some are more than others).

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When I first added all the ingredients to the slow-cooker, I thought there wasn’t enough liquid. Don’t be fooled. Those tomatoes are filled with liquid!

About 7 hours later…..

I pulled the pork apart outside of the slow cooker, so I could get minimal amounts of the juices on my pork. The juices were delicious, yes, but see my note above about FODMAPs and you will see why I tried to minimize them. Nick, however, added extra ginger-and syrupy juices to his sandwich!

All that hard labor……. really paid off 😉

No, we didn’t use whole wheat buns (and to be honest, because of FODMAPs and because of all the refined carbs, I only ate half of my bun, but I reallllly enjoyed that half!).

QUESTION: Do you like pulled pork? Have you ever made it in the slow-cooker? Do you have any favorite recipes you’d like to share?

It’s great to be back in the blog world. Yesterday’s postsparked some wonderful conversation, and I appreciate everyone’s comments (both good and bad). It was pretty clear that just as I hadn’t read the book “Wheat Belly”, many of those who posted comments also didn’t read my entire post. I was not writing a review of the book, but mainly trying to back-up what I teach to my clients, that wheat can be a part of a healthy and balanced diet. Working in a grocery store I have to be open to all types of diets, views, and opinions (and really, being an RD in most community settings this is the case). And, as a practicing dietitian and professional, I believe that it’s important to teach evidence-based nutrition information (and not to fall for the naive idea that “correlation indicates causation”, as one RD pointed out in her comments yesterday), and I am still not convinced that wheat (or any grain) is bad (unless, of course you are medically unable to consume them). Until it is proven otherwise, I will continue to believe that Americans are consuming too many grains, and the wrong types (mainly refined instead of whole) and that that is one of our many dietary shortcomings. I am not yet able to agree that wheat is bad, but only that we are eating too much (and what is the right amount? I don’t think we know that quite yet either…..). I am happy for anyone who has followed a wheat or gluten-free diet for reasons other than an allergy or Celiac and who have had success (like I said yesterday, I am one of them!).

Ok, it’s food time.

I love slow cookers.

I can throw a bunch of seemingly random ingredients into a large pot, turn on the heat, walk away for several hours, and come home to deliciousness…….

The recipe is called “Slow-Cooker Cajun Shrimp and Rice”, but this looks more like a stew to me, no? Read my notes below and you’ll see that my choice of using brown rice might have been what turned this slow-cooker meal into more of a stew. Not that it really mattered, as Nick and I still devoured this meal for three nights straight.

I seriously love shrimp. I could eat it each and every night, if I could. But I don’t, because variety is important. While shrimp is high in selenium, omega-3, and a special kind of carotenoid called astazanthin (it has many anti-inflammatory properties), it’s also pretty high in cholesterol. But let’s be honest, most research suggests saturated fat is the main culprit for increasing your cholesterol numbers, and shrimp is a low saturated fat food (making it a great substitute for that burger you’re about to eat. )

I didn’t use wild rice, as the recipe suggested. If I make this again, I will. I actually used all brown rice, and I think it cooked much faster than wild rice, and became more starchy. Oops! It was still delicious.

NOTE: If you’re following alow FODMAPs diet, this recipe is probably not for you. I tried to reduce the onion and garlic, but it was still pretty loaded. I stuck to a fairly small serving each time I ate this, so it didn’t cause me too many problems. I also cut the onion into very large chunks, so it was easy to avoid, but still not FODMAPs-free.

3. If using low-heat setting, turn to high-heat setting. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and the 3 tablespoons cold water; stir into meat mixture along with bell pepper. Cover; cook 20 to 30 minutes more, or until thickened, stirring once. Stir in green beans, if desired. Serve with brown rice.

NOTE: To make this meal more FODMAPsfriendly, omit the garlic, and use different spices instead of the instant beef granules (I have yet to find any without garlic and onion). I only used 1 tsp. of the granules, as you can see (the original recipe called for more). The 1 tsp. didn’t cause me issues since it made so much!

BEFORE….

AFTER! This meal was so simple, and of course, so delicious.

As you can see, I did not add the green beans. Actually, I forgot to add them. I had them, but it wasn’t until after we ate this that I realized I forgot to add them! This is why I made the green beans “optional”. This meal lasted three days, so we added them to the meal the next night. The original recipe called for sugar snap peas, which is definitely an option, but they aren’tFODMAPsfriendly.

Ever since we were given a slow-cooker for a wedding present, I’ve been using it to make just about everything (including gingered pulled pork today on my day off!). Can you believe that in the almost seven years since Nick and I have been together, I never knew he liked chili and stews? He’s always told me “I don’t like soup”, so to me that meant no chili or stews. I recently found out I was wrong. Thank goodness.
I’m pretty sure traditional texas chili contains zero veggies (except for chilis, which really shouldn’t count). But Nick and I like veggies in our chili, so I modified this Texas Chili recipe a bit. Don’t hate me if you’re from Texas, I just….like my beans.

Instagram photo, taken during the first 5-minutes of the 7-hour process

NOTE: If you are following alow FODMAPsdiet this is probably not the best recipe. You could omit the onion and garlic and use a garlic or tuscan-flavored olive oil to replace the vegetable oil. Or you could cut the onion and garlic into large chunks so they are easy to remove when you eat the chili (this way you’d still get the flavors infused, but this is not a good idea if you are really sensitive to GOS, as they are water-soluble). Also, omit the beans (or take a beano supplement).

Directions

1. Toss the beef with 1 tablespoon each brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the beef in batches until browned on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes (do not crowd the pan). Transfer to a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker.

2. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion to the skillet and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, chiles, cumin and chili powder and cook 3 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water and the tomatoes and simmer, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker, cover and cook on low, 7 hours.

3. Add the hot sauce to the chili. Serve with scallions, cilantro and/or sour cream for topping, and chips, if desired.

Instagram

Nick took one bite and said, “You made this?!”.
Should I be offended by this??

I didn’t add Greek yogurt to mine, but I did add cilantro. It definitely added a unique touch.

Estimated Nutrition Facts for 1/8th of the chili

Nutrition Highlights: Good source of vitamin A and Calcium, excellent source of fiber, protein, iron and vitamin C. Not bad for chili!

It’s cold out. Why not make some pork and beans?! And while you’re at it, relish the fact that you are making a lot of very tasty and quite healthy food, for very cheap. This amazing recipe (meal!) cost ~$17 total, and lasted Nick and I about 4 days (and that was with organic canned goods and pork!). Seventeen dollars for four dinners for two? Not too shabby!

1. Place beans in a large bowl and cover with tap water by about 3 inches. Cover and soak overnight. Drain and rinse soaked beans and transfer to a 5 to 6-qt. slow cooker. Add enough hot water to cover by 1-inch. Cook for 2 hours on high.

2. Add pork and cook for 3 hours on high, checking once or twice to ensure pork-bean mixture is just submerged in liquid; add more water as needed so beans remain submerged. Stir in 3/4 tsp salt and black pepper and cook until beans are tender, about 1-hour on high.

3. About 30 minutes before beans are done, heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high. Add bell pepper and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 12 minutes. Add garlic, jalapenos and tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and simmer until liquid reduces by about three-quarters, 4-5 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/4 tsp salt.

4. With a large ladle, scoop and discard most of the cooking liquid in the slow cooker, so beans are moist but not soupy. Add tomato mixture to bean mixture and stir to combine. Turn off slow cooker (or keep on warm setting for up to 2 hours). Ladle beans into serving bowls and top with cheese and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Note: If you are following aLow FODMAPs diet, this recipe may not be for you. Granted, I did eat it and enjoy it, but I downed several Beano. You could try omitting the onion and garlic, but the taste will be significantly different. I did use less onion and garlic than the original recipe, and used garlic-infused olive oil.

Gina, The Candid RD

I'm a registered dietitian working hard to dispel nutrition myths, and to teach people how to live healthy lives without deprivation. My goal is to make nutrition simple, fun and delicious! I also follow a low FODMAPs diet for IBS. Feel free to contact me with questions.

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A story book that details a healthy trip through the grocery store, complete with a few recipes for your young ones!

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Disclaimer

This blog is meant to teach and inform you about nutrition and nutrition-related information. It serves as an outlet for my own personal opinions, but is not meant to be used as an absolute source of information. Before using this information to make any changes to your diet or lifestyle, I recommend that you talk to your doctor or local registered dietitian (contact me for options). Also, my low-FODMAPs recipes and recipe modifications are based on research done by the Monash University. Please contact me if you see something that you believe is inaccurate. I like to help, not confuse.